Sociology

This one-semester elective course is intended as a practical, hands-on guide to introduce you to the field of sociology. You will explore the evolution of sociology as a distinct social science, learn about sociological concepts and processes, and discuss how the individual relates to society. You will also learn about the influence of culture, social structure, socialization, and social change in today's society.

This course is structured into lessons and Course Activities as follows:

*The first lesson introduces students to the field of sociology and its development as a distinct discipline. You’ll learn some important sociological concepts and processes in the second lesson. The third lesson describes different types of societies.
*In the fourth lesson, you’ll learn about the contributions of pioneering sociologists to the field.
*The next three lessons discuss important sociological topics such as culture, social groups, socialization, and the various life stages. You will understand the role of culture, groups, and socialization in society.
*In the next three lessons, you will learn about diverse topics such as deviance, social stratification, and inequality. You’ll explore the causes and consequences of stratification and inequality in society.
*The next four lessons describe the roles of various social institutions such as family, polity, economy, education, religion, science and technology, and media in society.
*In the last two lessons you will learn about various demographic concepts and theories of population growth. You will also dig into factors affecting social change and learn about various theories of social change and social movements.